Chapter 256 I Have No Regrets (Part One)


    Only two sober people remained in the room, and Harper cast a nce at her unconscious husband.


    "Zack, you''re the only one who''s ever going to hear what I''m about to say. And whatever I''m going to


    tell you, you can''t ever tell anyone else, not even your father. Do you swear it to me?" With a grim face,


    Harper kept her eyes on him, feeling with all her heart that Zack was the only one who could keep this


    secret for her life''s sake.


    "I swear, this is between you and me."


    Harper finally nodded, letting out her breath. "Matthew was poisoned, and his life was in danger. I


    managed to seal the toxins in his legs, so he''s unable to walk. We''ve found all the herbs needed to


    detoxify him, but I''m not sure who it was that exposed this secret. In process of detoxifying him, a


    mistake had been made, and he could die at any time. In order to save him, I''ll have to take a massive


    risk, and pay a tremendous price."


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    "And what''s that price?" Zack stared at her, having understood what she was trying to say. "Does this


    mean that you''ll die? If that''s what you''re trying to tell me, Harper, I''m not going to let you do it. If you


    die trying to save him, I''ll burn this mansion to the ground. There''s no point in saving him if you have to


    die for it!"


    At his vehemence, Harper shook her head and carefully sat on the edge of the bed. With much


    tenderness, she tucked Matthew''s hair behind his ears. "I won''t die, Zack. But I will be week, and


    fatose for a while. And no one knows when I will wake up, not even me."


    "What are you talking about?"


    "The risk is huge. When I make my attempt to detoxify Matthew, we''ll both fall into aa. While this is


    happening, I''ll need someone to help me guard the prince''s mansion and wait for him to wake up."


    Harper drew out a delicately-crafted token. The token had been a gift from the masked man, right


    before she''d gotten married. It wasn''t untilter on that she discovered that the masked man was


    actually Matthew himself, and that the token was the ck g Token, which the emperor dreamed of


    and tried various schemes to get.


    Now, Harper pressed the ck g Token into Zack''s hands. "This is the ck g Token. I''m sure


    you''ve heard of it. With this, you''ll be able to order around everyone in this mansion. Once Matthew


    wakes up, you have to give it back to him. If neither of us will be able to wake up after what I''m about to


    do, then you''ll have to keep it. You''ll have to find another talented general for the ck g Army."


    "I don''t like this, Harper. You sound like you''re giving out yourst words. I don''t want the ck g


    Token or any of it. I just don''t want anything to happen to you!" Zack implored, emotional.


    Harper managed a smallugh. "It''s all I can do, Zack. I''m a part of Matthew now. If he were to die, His


    Majesty would never allow me to live anyway, and Matthew''s people wouldn''t let me take the ck


    g Token and give it to His Majesty. Whatever Matthew''s future may be, it''ll be my own as well. But


    you? You''re different. You can still hold a stand. You''re not a member of the prince''s mansion."


    "Is there really no other way? Do you have to do this?" Anxiety was written all over Zack''s face as he


    stared at her, looking for any possible alternative. He had always thought that Harper didn''t really


    harbor deep feelings for Matthew, but from the way she spoke, it seemed as though he was only lying


    to himself, believing that he still might''ve had a chance.


    "Yes, I do. Zack, please, I beg you. I''ve no one else to turn to, no one else to rely on. I can only beg you


    to help me, please. I can''t let my husband die right before my eyes," Harper whispered. Her eyes were


    bright with determination.


    At her words, Zack looked down at the small token cradled in his palm. Its corners pricked his flesh, but


    he felt no pain from it. "Harper, you... Are you in love with His Highness?"


    Harper''s smile only grew. "I''ll have no regrets, even if I were to die, Zack, because I''ve had such a good


    husband."


    "And you''d do anything for him? What would you be nning to do to save His Highness?" Though he


    felt a deep-seated jealousy, Zack already knew what Harper''s choice was now. There was no doubt


    that Matthew was a fine husband, and when he was determined to express love, very few people could


    truly resist his charm. And Harper had never rejected him from the beginning.


    In response, Harper rose and walked to Matthew. She sat at the edge of the bed and pressed a hand


    against his body. Without warning, a bulge grew beneath his skin, like a tumorous growth, and it


    disappeared as rapidly as it appeared. Drawing out a dagger, she cut her palm open, and made


    another slice just near where the bulge had been. She attached her open wound to the cut


    immediately. Suddenly, something rippled and moved under Matthew''s skin, startling Zack.


    As soon as whatever it was swam up to the open wound, Harper quickly drew back her hand. A ck


    shadow sprang right up from the gouge, and she swiftly snatched it up, shoving and shutting it into a


    box.


    "What...what in the world was that?!" Zack demanded, aghast. He knew that Matthew was in no


    ordinaryatose state, but what was that insect? Why did it rise up from the wound and seemed


    compelled to follow Harper''s blood? What did she just do?


    "It''s the Golden Cicada. I''ve raised it with my blood. I could''ve been able to detoxify himpletely


    through the use of the Golden Cicada raised by my blood, but...I made a fatal error. I believed the


    others too easily. If I had insisted on doing it myself, he wouldn''t even be in this situation right now." Her


    voice trembled.


    "Harper, you couldn''t have known. It''s not your fault. Just tell me what you have to do next, and we''ll


    get through it," Zack urged, trying to bring her somefort.


    Harper took a deep breath, steeling herself for what was next. "I''m going to need Denny''s help,


    actually. But I''m worried that he might hurt me out of his own personal grudge against me. And I''ll need


    someone to guarantee my safety. And I was hoping that would be you."


    "Harper, I won''t let anyone hurt you," Zack replied immediately, fervent in his tone.


    "Once I do what I have to do to save Matthew, I''ll be depleted. I''ll be too weak to even move and


    beatose at that point. Now, while I''m in this state, if you find something goes wrong, I''m permitting


    you to kill Denny, Johnson and Rena without hesitation. If the secret guards refuse to obey your orders,


    you can use the ck g Token to demand that they obey you. You must hold this as ast resort,


    though. You''ll have to keep that ace up your sleeve as long as possible." Truthfully, Harper was deathly


    worried that if word went out that Zack had the ck g Token in his possession, it would paint a


    target on his back and put him in mortal danger.